Description
Book SynopsisThe Matter of Piety provides the first in-depth study of Zoutleeuw’s exceptionally well-preserved pilgrimage church in a comparative perspective, and revaluates religious art and material culture in Netherlandish piety from the late Middle Ages through the crisis of iconoclasm and the Reformation to Catholic restoration. Analyzing the changing functions, outlooks, and meanings of devotional objects – monumental sacrament houses, cult statues and altarpieces, and small votive offerings or relics – Ruben Suykerbuyk revises dominant narratives about Catholic culture and patronage in the Low Countries. Rather than being a paralyzing force, the Reformation incited engaged counterinitiatives, and the vitality of late medieval devotion served as the fertile ground from which the Counter-Reformation organically grew under Protestant impulses.
Trade Review"It is not only the extended timespan and the bottom-up perspective that lends this beautifully published book an ambitious scope. Its multidisciplinary approach, bridging the gap between history and art history, and the use of different types of sources – written, visual, and material – further adds to the far-reaching aims of this work." Carolina Lenarduzzi (Leiden University) in Early Modern Low Countries 7 (2023) "... to show that Suykerbuyk's carefully crafted publication, which is rich in material and findings, makes for stimulating reading." Esther Meiser, (TU Köln/TU Dortmund) in Renaissance Quarterly 1 (2023)
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations Abbreviations Note on Currencies Introduction: The Matter of Piety in an Age of Religious Change A Pulverized Image? Status quaestionis Sources, Methodology and Set-up Part 1: Late Medieval Piety in Perspective 1 The Cult of Saint Leonard at Zoutleeuw Saint Leonard’s Altarpiece Protohistory of the Cult The Fortunes of Devotion: Offerings The Promotion of Devotion 2 The Image of Piety at the Dawn of Iconoclasm Old Sources, New Views: Miracles and Indulgences The Cult Circuit in the Low Countries A Spirited Devotional Culture Materialized part 2: Catholic Piety in Iconoclastic Times 3 1520. The Waning of Medieval Piety? Cornelis Floris’ Sacrament House The Introduction of Protestant Thought The 1520-Thesis Continuities 4 Pilgrimage The Public Debate on Images, Miracles and Pilgrims The Cult of Saint Leonard at Zoutleeuw: Tradition and Innovation Miracles and Cults, Old and New Miracles as Anti-Protestant Statements 5 Parish Liturgy The Eucharist Musical Embellishment 6 Patronage The Memorial Landscape in Zoutleeuw Van Wilre’s Project Countering the Reformation Sacrament Houses as Objects of Defiance 7 1566: The Beeldenstorm and Its Aftermath Destructions and Descriptions The Wonderyear: Facts and Theories Les villes bonnes Zoutleeuw and the Hageland Region Part 3: The Miraculous Counter-Reformation 8 The Resumption of Miracles Paulus Gautier’s Miracle Memorial Painting A New Era? The Rise of Votive Paintings A Culture of the Miraculous Zoutleeuw, 1612 9 Devotional Negotiation with the Archducal Government The Object of Devotion: Image versus Relic The Gift The Translation Conclusion: The Thin Line Between Tradition and Transformation Appendix 1: The Churchwarden Accounts of Zoutleeuw’s Church of Saint Leonard Appendix 2: Graphs Notes Bibliography Primary Sources Published Sources Literature Online Databases Index
